Trunk Bay, St. John USVI

Trunk Bay offers an award winning beach, one of the top 10 in the world according to some publications, and a wonderful “underwater hike”. Not knowing what to expect, I couldn’t wait to try it out! Once the conditions were right, I started out to the only National Park protected beach on the island of St. John.

I was the first of many tourists to enter the National Park beach that morning, and it was still early enough that the water was pretty cold. Realizing how long it would take for us to get hot enough to want to jump in, I sucked it up and splashed in. Once under, I tested our equipment, snorkeled around a bit, and found the beginning of the trail.

The hike is in a triangle shape, marked by practical and informative signs on the ocean floor, and buoys floating on the surface. The introductory sign gave the best advice- float and drift slowly, and let the fish get used to you. Once they are comfortable, they will all come out. How true! We saw many different types of parrotfish, as well as trumpets, squirrelfish and beautiful coral. Some of the coral had even been marked as part of an experiment to help recreate other reefs that have been destroyed.

I have asked many locals when the think the best time of day would be to see some fish, and the answers vary. I am happy I went in the morning, because I got to see some fish that usually are out at night.

After the trail, I spoke to the lifeguards that were not only friendly, but were very knowledgeable about local and federal reef laws, and types of fish that feed at that particular reef. They were even nice enough to lend me their fish identification charts and books so I could check out who the friendly fish were that followed me through the entire trail.

Unfortunately, when the tourist buses started showing up, the lifeguards had to constantly call people off of sitting or standing on the coral reef. Even though there was much information at the entrance, and the lifeguards were constantly reminding people, through a megaphone, that they were destroying the reef, people continued to sit, stand, kick, and rest on the reef. One woman even got so angry that she was called out for destroying the reef that she came onto the beach and screamed at the lifeguards and everyone surrounding them. I was highly saddened about how the reef was being treated, and highly suggest a visitor to go during a not so high tourist time.

Trunk Bay offers full facilities, snack bar, lifeguards, showers, many picnic areas, a gift shop with film, sunscreen, batteries and the usual necessities, and equipment, like beach chairs, for rent. The National Parks do ask an admission price, and the beach is open from 7:30AM to 4:30 PM.

8 Tools to Help You Travel Forever and Live Rent Free

Caretaker's Gazette

(http://www.caretaker.org) 

By joining this service (annual membership is approximately US$30), you will gain access to a classified system of people looking for caretakers in exchange for rent-free living. The opportunities vary widely in scope from ranch hands, to organic farm workers, campground hosting, motel management, nursing for the elderly, to just plain house sitting. Locales for your next potential gig could be anywhere in the world, from numerous U.S. locations, to Australia, to Europe and even Micronesia.
Some are paying opportunities, while others are simply work-trade arrangements for accommodation. Others yet will supply an additional stipend depending on your experience and the work entailed.









Woofing

(http://www.planetfriendly.net/wwoof. html)

 WWOOF is an acronym for a number of different phrases, the most apt of which in my mind is "World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms". It is an international organization (located in over 70 countries) of organic farms, gardens, businesses, ranches, (you name it) where you can exchange your services for accommodations, food, and training.



Required services include basic garden and farm maintenance, as well as cooking, teaching, caring for children, and handy work. There is usually some work suitable for anybody willing to adopt this lifestyle.




Whilst surfing Wwoofing opportunities, you will likely also find links to volunteer organizations, and other similar work exchange opportunities. It's a great way to gain valuable experience, friendships, and to cover your living expenses in a constructive manner.



Most countries require a subscription to gain access to their full listings and contact information of the hosts, and the subscription prices vary from area to area but are not over-priced for the value received.










House Carers

(http://www.housecarers.com/)
 
If you are happy to spend your vacation house-sitting for somebody else, you may find the right opportunity here. You will find lists upon lists of people requesting house sitters for periods of time from a few days to a few months, anywhere in the world. In many cases there are a few hoops to jump through in order to gain the opportunity with liability and bonding issues, and already living or traveling in the same country carries an added advantage.



You can choose from the limited free membership options or the full US$45 one year membership, depending on your needs.








Organic Volunteers

(http://www.organicvolunteers.com)

 Much like Caretaker's Gazette and woofing, you will find many worldwide opportunities to proverbially "pick blueberries for a living". The prospects aren't limited to organic farms though; you will find hostel management jobs, artist retreat internships, in addition to various agricultural and permaculture settings.



For US$20/year, membership will help you gain access to many great listings and a user-friendly system of contacting hosts and searching for opportunities.





Trinity Couch Surfing: London

Couch Surfing

(http://www. couchsurfing. com)

Couch Surfers are a network of people who are willing to open up their homes and hearts to frugal travelers, as well as be those travelers when they are not hosting guests. The site prides itself on referrals and having only high quality members, but as with any chance to stay at a stranger's place for free, a prudent amount of caution should be exercised.








Trinity Couch Surfing: Amsterdam

Global Freeloaders

(http://www.globalfreeloaders.com) 

Similar to Couch Surfing, Global Freeloaders is a cultural exchange program for hosts and travelers. Registration is free, but members are required to be able to host as well as travel, so unless you expect to be able to offer up your digs as a host within six months of signing up, you are politely requested to wait.








Servas

(http://joomla.servas.org/) 

This is the original Couch Surfers and Global Freeloaders. Servas (meaning "serve" in Esperanto), is a non-profit non-denominational non-ethnic organization of good-will and cultural exchanges. It's been around for at least 50 years, and is recognized by the United Nations. In addition to being a network to connect people and places, volunteers around the world work in relief camps and advocate for peace through various projects.



Hosts offer their homes and dinner tables for two nights (or more, at the discretion of the host) to travelers who contact them and who meet with their approval. Travelers must go through an exhaustive process which includes an in-person interview before being accepted to the program, as a way of screening for quality candidates.



Once travelers are interviewed and accepted into the program, they are given printed lists or booklets of the hosts in their destination country (Servas is moving towards an online platform, but is not there yet). There are also membership fees which vary from country to country.









Hospitality Club

(http://www.hospitalityclub.org/) 

Free to join and internet-based, it appears to be the Servas of the online world. It is kept "safe" through a series of passport checks and online feedback systems with checks and balances.



These are just a few opportunities in the world of long-term travel, as you will discover with a little research.

Cayey, Puerto Rico

Where can you find:

*A Catholic church dedicated to a woman who lived her life in a CAVE?
*An abandoned prison in the middle of a secluded rainforest?
*Gorgeous waterfalls, hiking, and a beautiful blue lake for swimming?

CAYEY!!


Cayey Public Relations
(787) 738-3211
(787) 738-7865 Fax

My friends Tatiana and Ramon took me to this local rainforest hideaway. Not your typical tourist fun-for-the-whole-family where the monkeys eat out of your hand place, but so much more interesting. Once we drove through Caguas into the Carite Forest, our first turn was to drive the opposite direction of the signs pointing to Cayey our would-be destination. We would experience some quite wild adventures off the "beaten path" in Guavate, Cayey and Caguas!



I have found in my travels that it is the smaller towns in the mountains, desert, or forest that are always the most... well, interesting. The Carite Forest did not leave me wanting for much else. Some of the sites would not really make it into an issue of "Weird Caribbean" (which I would love to start!), but were fun none-the-less. Take this house for example. Locally known by many different names, "Castle of the Forest" being the main one that I heard, is a mystery amongst locals. am sure someone knows how this European-styled structure came to the middle of a little forest inland, but if so, the knowledge is not wide-spread. We tried calling the number on the "for sale" sign, but the realtors just knew what price they were looking for.



The rainforest there is amazingly full of color and life . Much more untouched and not beaten down by tourists like the rainforest areas that we are used to. There was also much more wildlife than we are used to seeing. I believe this is a residential area, probably not used to outside tourism. The sites that Cayey boasts about most often are usually visited by locals (swimming holes, local museums, etc.). I did not see any tourist buses the whole time we were there, and it seemed like most people were driving through to another destination instead of stopping. We pulled over to take a moment in this tropical paradise & to snap some photos before hitting our schedule!





** photos are larger files, may take a moment to load. Please be patient

CATEDRAL DE SAN JUAN, San Juan Puerto Rico

151-153 Calle Cristo
San Juan 00902 Puerto Rico
+1 787 722 0861
LuisNieves@catedralsanjuan.com
http://www.catedralsanjuan.com
Open Hours
8:30a-4p M-F, closed during services at 12:15p weekdays


I am NOT a church-going Christian… more of a vegan anarchist! But one should always appreciate art, and there are many times when religion and art go hand in hand, like … everywhere in Latin America. Especially here in Puerto Rico where religion and government go hand in hand. So do religion and birth rate, religion and music, religion and history, and the list goes on. So if I couldn't beat 'em, might as well take some photos, see some art & learn some history! Plus, I am a pretty big fan of the gory and bloody symbols of the Catholic religion!


I heart effigies! This one being St. Pius.

This is one of the many local churches in my town, but this is the biggest, and most historical of them all. I have bought hand-made rosaries for various family members made out of indigenous dried seeds here, and beads, and not once was I ever able to get them blessed by a Padre, who was always off the premises, so I figured the coast was clear for me to go in and snap some shots. The women who run the church are very friendly and allow photography almost any time they doors are open. They have people praying during times that are not mass, but the church stays open to tourist groups and individuals anyway. I had a great feeling that I was not getting into anyone's way, and was not getting crappy looks like some church members like to throw. This was a much healthier environment.

The San Juan Cathedral, is located on Calle del Santo Cristo (yes… the street of Christ), and was built in the 1520's (literally, the estate was picked out in 1521, the roof was put on in 1529) by Monsignor Tame Alonso, first bishop of the island. Since then it has been renovated a number of times, and has survived attacks of pirates, the English, the Dutch and PR's own history of crappy politicians, but it still stands.


Are people really this bored in hell?

The convent across the street is as widely-known as the church. Constructed in 1646, it housed the nuns associated with the church, no matter what sect they were from, and in back of their building is a beautiful staircase called the Escalinata De Las Monjas, which was the route the nuns would take to the church. In 1903 the convent was closed, and (according to local legend) became an apartment complex. After a while, in 1959, the structure was turned into the now world renowned El Convento Hotel. Not only is the building still in tact and breathtaking, but with less than 60 rooms, is extremely exclusive as well. Now it is very common to have wedding ceremonies in the cathedral, then the reception in the convent. Weird.


As I understand in history, traditionally wandering people did not make a place a town until they buried their own there. In this case rumor is that San Juan was a military base, not a residence, until there was a church. Once they built one, then it was a hoppin' town that would later be known for it's whorehouses. Go figure.

This cathedral is definitely beautiful, majestic & worth a look. In no case is it as eerie as the half-melted wax gory Catholic statues of Latin America, but since it houses the remains of the famous fountain-seeker Ponce de Leon, well… that makes it a must-see.

** Since there was no one there to answer my questions about the history of the church, I have an appointment next week. I will try to get as much information as possible! Stay tuned!
**For more information about the El Convento hotel, or their history, please reference www.elconvento.com

Campamento Guavate Cayey, Puerto Rico

My first visit to the site of the Campamento Guavate was a surprise and left me stunned with a smile for the rest of the day, and three rolls of film to develop. There is so little information about this abandoned correctional facility that I figured I had better do some research and come back.



This structure was abandoned in the early 00's, and is said to have been a correctional facility for juveniles- which would explain a lot of the graffiti saying "Let our children go", etc. Other than being a spot for locals to test out new guns, and for teams to play paintball, it looked like the structure had been left abandoned, and untouched, for many years.



This series of structures (a ring of little buildings, some with bridges connecting) is located off the main road, and set rather deeply in the lush rainforest foliage. Bringing our car past the violently smashed front gate (looks like it was locked at one point and opened when meeting the front of a large truck), we hid the car behind one of the first main buildings so as not to attract attention from the police, passer-bys and locals. Before getting started on our journey, I gave some of the local dogs food so they would not follow us.


one of the first main rooms-check out the view!

Once inside, it was great to see funny things like the remnants of the naked women magazine clippings that were up still up in the lockers, and playing cards still all over the floor in some of the rooms. The beds, showers, kitchen, lockers, watchtower and some of the windows were all pretty much still in tact. Rusted and broken, but still present. We even found a "work card" of one of the kids, explaining he is to report to work in the kitchen.


area for toilets



After surveying the land, I saw very little security measures. I am sure there were guards, probably with big guns, but other than the watchtowers with their spiral staircases, I saw little else. The regular chain-linked fence, topped with razor wire, ran along the border of the main road, but I saw no other barrier between the site and the rainforest.

All in all, a fair example of what to expect of an abandoned correctional facility in the Caribbean. Everything that could rust did, the rest wasn't going anywhere. I recently have heard of another prison in Bayamon that is not only closed and abandoned, but apparently is going to be reconstructed and opened soon. I'll try to make it there before they do! stay tuned!

*** Photos are larger files and may take a moment to load!

The Craziness of LA CALLE!!

I have to tell you, if I did not live in the specific area of the Festival De La Calle in Viejo San Juan for the last three years, I would have a very different opinion of the festival. But I do, and I have, and although it is a huge pain in the ass for us locals, it has some amazing charms as well.

Every town in Puerto Rico has a patron saint, to which that town holds a festival once a year. San Juan holds a festival to their San Juan El Bautista (St. John the Baptist), and people celebrate with a public baptism of drunk people throwing themselves into the ocean backwards at midnight. Old San Juan celebrates our favorite martyr, St. Sebastian, by popping open a can of Medalla. Since Calle San Sebastian is our street of bars, we celebrate our saint by allowing thousands to drink in the streets. With this, the Feast of San Sebastian is also called the Fiesta De La Calle, or the"Party of the Street" .

Part of this festival's history is the Parade Cabezudos, which is a great parade, encompassing everyone on the street with very catchy music. I would almost call it addictive. Today I was in my home when I heard the parade go by, and I couldn't help but grab my camera & head out to join the celebration. It is almost impossible not to! With the parade comes the very famous Comparsa Pleneros Del Pueblo, or people wearing masks of huge heads of common people. These, along with the vejigantes of Ponce, are the star attractions of the parade, and the festival. Although no one could answer to what the history of these masks are, including the children in the masks and their parents, I will just call it one of our dearly held traditions, and hopefully edit this part out when I can call the Cultural Department once the festival is over and they open again.
Other than the big headed people, the festival of St. Sebastian is also world-renowned for the artistic fair that is held in the area of the Totem. Famous musicians and artists come together to preform and exhibit their talents and join the huge arts and crafts fair. Last year the main musical attraction was Ricky Martin, and featured the art of Ada Rosa Rivera, Elida Rodríguez, Javier Alzérreca Frambes, Oslvado de Jesus Cruz, Roberto Matos, and Sixto Cotto. This year's line up is much more local, involving the Orchestra of the North to South Julito Alvarado, and the group Así Somos.

Enjoy, and maybe I will catch you out on the street!

HOLY MIXQUIC!!

Although it is not know as the best place to celebrate the holiday, I decided to spend the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead in Mixquic, Mexico, just outside of Mexico City. It seems Mixquic is put on the map because they house the cemetery and prison for the D.F. area. What perfect surroundings to be celebrating in!

Unfortunately, I did not learn about the bus that would take me straight to the town, until after I headed out. It would have been very stress-free to not have driven to the small town, but I would not have been able to stay the night to watch the candlelight service, since the bus left at 5:00 PM. So, I jumped in the rental car with a crappy map (all in Spanish) and was off.

Once I got into town and parked, it was apparent that all the streets were blocked off and the whole town was a big party. I was so happy to be in this atmosphere- with very little tourists and many sites to see. I tried to imagine the town without the massive celebrating, but it was very difficult to. Maybe they hated it as much as we hate the Festival de la Calle!

After roaming around just to get photos of the amazing Day of the Day murals in the streets, I finally found where the street fair began. At this time, I knew I was headed in the right direction of the cemetery, and that the party was just beginning.

The road leading to the town square was filled with tables selling everything that can be expected at the festival. Many vendors had mountains of sugar skulls, of every shape and size, and made out of many types of food. Some were traditional, while others were made of dark chocolate with M&M's and wore glasses and mustaches. How wonderful to see this famous tradition in the original setting!


Mixquic, and the surrounding areas, had recently finished harvesting their crops and there were many fresh fruits and vegetables for sale (all with lime and chili powder!). If that wasn't enough, there was also potato chips wrapped around a stick, cotton candy, popcorn, and different types of corn on the cob. After all that time snacking, I decided to spend some time in the little cultural centers before going any further.

One of the community centers focused on the crafts, writings, miniatures and sculptures of the local children. It was amazing to see how death was incorporated into their daily lives. Upon entering, there was the largest shrine I had ever seen. Filled with steps of food, fruits, and flowers, It looked about two stories high. Surrounding the shrine were all different types of skeletons, and a mosaic of a skeleton made out of beans-all made by the children. Further in there were masks, murals, flags and projects lining the walls, including the class project in which the children were asked "Who do you want death to come for?" and the answers ranged from bullies, "cool kids" that got the girls, and, most of all, teachers.

Finally, it was time for us to enter the cemetery. I was lucky enough to be there when the family and loved ones were finishing decorating the grave sites, and just before the sun went down. The candlelight church service started soon afterwards. It was easy to forget what the day meant when I watched the people running around with cans of water and flower petals, working hard to decorate and get things ready in time. Later, once the service started and the families huddled together at the graveside to light the candles and incense, the true meaning of the holiday shone through. Families saw me trying to hold back my tears, and invited me to sit with them, so they could share with me the funny stories and good memories of their deceased.

After watching this extremely emotional ceremony, I decided it was time to get back to el D.F. On the way out of Mixquic, in front of the prison to be exact, I was stopped by four or five men in costume carrying baseball bats and huge tree branches. They blocked the road and asked for money. On the way in I had seen a few people creating their own "toll booths" on the side of the road, and people actually stopped to give them a few pesos. I believe this is what funds the town all year, and it couldn't hurt to give a bit more to the locals. When I told them, angrily, that I only had one 10 peso coin left, then gave it to them, they said, in English, "Sorry! Thank you!" and I knew I was never in any harm. Look up Mixquic on these popular travel advice sites, and you will hear horrible warnings and advice not to go. It breaks my heart to see Americans bashing the town by saying their trip was "a disappointment" and "not worth it" , but I think this is best to keep shitty Americans out of amazing local color.